Hope Physical & Rehabilitation Clinic, located at 51-23 Queens Blvd. (Google)
Oct. 11, 2018 By Christian Murray
A doctor and a nurse practitioner operating out a Woodside medical clinic prescribed millions of oxycodone pills to patients who didn’t need them and reaped millions of dollars in illegal profit, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Dante A. Cubanbang, a physician, 50, and John F. Gargan, a nurse practitioner, 62, distributed the highly-addictive pills out of the Hope Physical & Rehabilitation Clinic, located at 51-23 Queens Blvd., according to U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. The pair worked with Michael Kellerman. 54, and Loren Piquant, 37, both employees of the clinic, as part of the scheme.
The four were among 10 New York City-based medical professionals who were charged today in relation to illegal opioid distribution. Prosecutors unsealed five indictments and a criminal complaint in federal court in Manhattan.
“These doctors and other health professionals should have been the first line of defense against opioid abuse,” Berman said in a statement. “Instead of caring for their patients, they were drug dealers in white coats.”
The Woodside operation distributed more than 6 million oxycodone pills—the equivalent of 180 kilograms of pure oxycodone– to individuals with no medical need between January 2012 and September 2018, according to the indictment. The clinic prescribed twice as many pills that were paid for by Medicare and Medicaid than the next highest prescriber in New York City.
Cubanbang and Gargan were paid $300 in cash per office visit, which typically lasted no more than a few minutes and involved little to no physical examination, according to the indictment.
Patients would fill their prescriptions at local pharmacies and sell the pills to drug dealers. According to court documents, a standard monthly supply contains 180 pills, and each pill has a street value of about $30.
Kellerman, who was the office manager and maintained the medical records, collected and laundered more than $5 million in cash office fees collected. Meanwhile, Piquant recruited patients off the street and bought pills off patients and re-sold them, according to the indictment.
All four have been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Cubanbang, Gargan and Kellerman are also charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
“These charges should serve as a warning to medical professionals who act like drug dealers and profit off the vulnerable individuals they should be helping,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Scott Lampert in a statement.
“Our entire country is suffering through an opioid abuse crisis, and we need to do everything we can to save as many lives as possible,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said in a statement. “We need to help people from falling back into a black hole of addiction and fatal overdoses. We have to push New York City and our nation to thrive, and to turn this epidemic around.”
Featured Events
29 Comments
Tommy O is an idiot…GET SERIOUS MY MAN..THESE DRUGS KILL PEOPLE..IT ISN’T FRIGGING FUNNY..DOPE..YOU TO ..DOPE
These drugs dont kill people the insurance companies that do not allow these patients to have thier pain medications on time are the culprits as the patients go to the street dealers and when they finally are approved its too late . Pain Medications cannot be mixed with other medications this is the problem is. If medication is taken regularly there is no issue. Some patients have gone to the street dealers for heroin whilst waiting for ins companies to approve thier pain meds
Hey Tommy O…THIS DOPE PROBLEM STARTED UNDER OBAMA AND MEDICAID LESSENING OF ITS RULES..ONE DOLLAR PRESCRITION PRICES FOR BOTTKES OF DOPE…,YEAH YOUR PRESIDENT, MORON..YEAH OBAMA…YOU IDIOTS BLAME TRUMP FOR YOUR DAMN HEMMOROIDS ….ALSO..OBAMA IS TO BLAME…tommy o ‘moron..SUCH IGNORANT PEOPLE..OBAMA DID CRAP TO SOLVE IT,AT LEAST WE REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING..YOU LIBERALS WILL BE HAVING SHOOT UP ROOMS SOON,FOR ILLEGAL CONTROLLED DOPE..YEAH ITS DOPE..FROM MEXICO AND CHINA..AFGHANISTAN DOESNT BOTHER ANYMORE…..
OH,LETS FEEL FOR THE POOR JUNKIES..STOP CODDLING THESE JUNKIES AND STOP BLAMING PHARMA COMPANIES..ITS JUNK,AND DOCTORS..DOCTORS..PRESCRIPTIONS LEAD TO JUNK,DOPE,SMACK CHINA WHITE..THE DRAGON…WISE UP…WORSE THEN THE VIETNAM ERA..YEAH I LIVED IT..THE GHETTOS ARE GONE.DID YOU ALL GIVE A DAMN THEN..I THINK NOT..NOW WHITEY IS HOOKED,NOT THE POOR GHETTO BLACK OR HISPANIC ANYMORE…NO IT’S WHITEY…GROW UP..GET HELP.GET SOBER.NOT PHARMAS FAULT..ITS DOCTORS,CARTElS,AND LIBERAL SOCIETY ALLOWED THIS..THANK YOU
lmao I can’t tell if you’re just the epitome of everything people make fun of Trumpeters for or just a parody
George Kelly – you have gall to call anyone stupid. All your posts are nothing but misinformation and complete ignorance. This current opioid crisis is a direct cause of lessening so called “burdensome regulations” The initial promotion and marketing of OxyContin was an organized effort throughout 1996–2001, to dismiss the risk of opioid addiction. Purdue Pharma hosted over forty promotional conferences at three select locations in the southwest and southeast of the United States. Coupling a convincing “Partners Against Pain” campaign with an incentivized bonus system, Purdue trained its salesforce to convey the message that the risk of addiction was under one percent, ultimately influencing the prescribing habits of the medical professionals that attended these conferences. Laws were passed using this deception. This a fact look it up. Then again what do you care George Kelly you have alternative facts.
Looks like loud mouth Kelly got fact checked into reality again.,
Hey Tommy O…THIS DOPE PROBLEM STARTED UNDER OBAMA AND MEDICAID LESSEN OF ITS RULES..ONE DOLLAR PRESCRITION PRICES FOR BOTTKES OF DOPE…,YEAH YOUR PRESIDENT, MORON..YEAH OBAMA…YOU IDIOTS BLAME TRUMP FOR YOUR DAMN HEMMOROIDS ….ALSO..OBAMA IS TO BLAME…tommy o ‘moron..SUCH IGNORANT PEOPLE..OBAMA DID CRAP TO SOLVE IT,AT LEAST WE REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING..YOU LIBERALS WILL BE HAVING SHOOT UP ROOMS SOON,FOR ILLEGAL CONTROLLED DOPE..YEAH ITS DOPE..FROM MEXICO AND CHINA..AFGHANISTAN DOESNT BOTHER ANYMORE…..
OH,LETS FEEL FOR THE POOR JUNKIES..STOP CODDLING THESE JUNKIES AND STOP BLAMING PHARMA COMPANIES..ITS JUNK,AND DOCTORS..DOCTORS..PRESCRIPTIONS LEAD TO JUNK,DOPE,SMACK CHINA WHITE..THE DRAGON…WISE UP…WORSE THEN THE VIETNAM ERA..YEAH I LIVED IT..THE GHETTOS ARE GONE.DID YOU ALL GIVE A DAMN THEN..I THINK NOT..NOW WHITEY IS HOOKED,NOT THE POOR GHETTO BLACK OR HISPANIC ANYMORE…NO IT’S WHITEY…GROW UP..GET HELP.GET SOBER.NOT PHARMAS FAULT..ITS DOCTORS,CARTElS,AND LIBERAL SOCIETY ALLOWED THIS..THANK YOU
I’m a health professional and these pill mills are a major problem. Unfortunately, they close one down and another one pops up.
Say no to drugs and likewise to van bramer.
nope, i will always say YES to drugs! mainly because i see the value in them and dont abuse them. if people want to abuse them and OD their life away, nothing will stop them from jumping off a bridge either. i love oxy. i always keep some around when i am lucky enough to get it prescribed and have some left over. a lot of crooked evil doctors in this city refuse to prescribe it, no matter what amount of pain i’m in. this stuff was amazing when i had two wisdom teeth ripped out of my jaw. my horrible dentist refused to give me any pain meds and told me to just take tylenol. never going back there again, but left a wonderfully negative review on yelp. luckily, i had enough oxy for 3 days to help with the pain and help me actually get some sleep instead of stay awake in extreme pain. then i had foot surgery and needed this stuff badly. losers will always abuse, no matter what. they will find a way. any place that offers this stuff in very small quantity for those that truly need it is a blessing! doctors just dont care whether you are in pain or not, as long as the check clears an they are paid upfront in full.
I saw a lot of strange people around there, a legalised drug den.
Blame this the on the higher drug companies in the pants of politicians particularly the Trump led republicans.
The top recipient of Pharmaceutical money was Bob Casey , a democratic Senator from Pennsylvania. 470,000$+. It’s not a political party issue. It’s an issue of who isn’t taking their money. Money doesn’t see party lines.
#2–#7 were all Republicans lawl. Each made about $400k–$200k. The majority of the top 10 AND the top 20 were republicans.
Leave it to the obsessed Tommy O to blame Trump. Tommy’s mom wants you to know that when he was a lad he was very sweet.
Corey groper booker is a big recipient of pharmaceutical money
Don’t let the facts get in your way
According to anonymous source there’s oxi-Russian collusion and Mueller should open office in Woodside.
“These charges should serve as a warning to medical professionals who act like drug dealers and profit off the vulnerable individuals they should be helping,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Scott Lampert in a statement. “You can only get away with this for half a decade before we decide to do anything about it.”
FIFY
For all the lives they’ve probably destroyed through drugs, they should all serve “LIFE” sentences without parole. It would be a good start!
A long jail sentence would be just.
Every time I walked by this place there were dozens of people sitting in front because the inside was packed to capacity.
A lot of drug stores should he investigated along Roosevelt Ave and elsewhere in Queens.. seeing a drugstore on every block and competing with the likes of CVS, Walgreens, and Rite aide I find very unlikely. They are ripping off Medicare and also being pushers for opiates.
Cubanbang and I worked on a couple of films back in the 70’s
I’ve seen your work. Pretty impressive.
Tommy O. wants to act in one of your films.
Tommy O lives in your head rent free
Is that you Charlottesville?
Stuff like this is the reason people who really need pain medications either for medical conditions or serious pain as a result from an accident can’t get it.
There are people out there who either abuse these drugs or sell them a doctors who aren’t like the one mentioned here along with the nurse are super skeptical of anyone needing pain medications even if they’ve been on them for years with a diagnosed condition and need them to function or even move around.
These people are a disgrace to the medical profession and they should lose their license and go to jail!